It’s been said that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to master a skill. While we’re sure that being great at piano, speaking fluent French or beatboxing like Biz Markie are all great things to master, none of those skills taste as good during the 9,999 hours of practice in becoming a master in the kitchen. You also learn so much along the way, from seasoning correctly and chopping onions without chopping off your finger to properly poaching an egg, that by the time you get to even 3,000 hours of practice, you’re probably a better cook than most of your friends.

As two ladies who are both somewhere along the way to the 10,000 hours, we wanted to impart upon you some of our favorite ingredients to have on hand in the kitchen. Get familiar with these kitchen staples to take your food from tasting like 1,000 hours to that coveted 10,000.